Envision being able to talk to your favorite friends face to face...without separate, complicated setups, phone bills, or scrambling for numbers.

Picture attending parties/virtual gatherings (like Wendy's doing above, only without the hassle--this was done via Skype, but it took A LOT of coordination).

Up again with insomnia (Chronic Lyme or otherwise)? Meet the people you’ve been laughing and joking with 'til 5:00am (Bonus: They're already in your address book).

Sick, housebound, or bedbound? Get connected with just the push of a button (perfect when fingers don’t cooperate, phones are hard to hold, you're technically challenged, or you want company, but can’t get up to clean the living room).

Educate others on rashes, equipment, and other good stuff without posting 20 photos or leaving the comfort of your recliner.

AMAZING!!!

Best of all, creating a video call has NEVER been easier...

1. First, enable chat on your Facebook page. To do this, scroll down to the bottom left side of your screen (below News, Messages, Events, Friends, Groups, Apps, Ads) until you see this icon:

2. Then, click go online. This will open a separate chat window to show who’s available to talk (friends with a green square are available, friends with a grey square might be available, friends with no icon are unavailable).

3. To call a friend, select their photo and click the video icon found on the top right of their chat window (Note: If you have not yet used video chat, this will prompt a one-time set up to connect you...just follow the prompts).

4. When they answer, start talking. Or, if nobody answers, leave a video message. To do this, look into the camera, click the record message button, click “allow FB to access your camera and microphone” and close. Then push the red button to start and the white button to stop).

NOTE: For a list of Frequently Asked Questions (system requirements, set up, etc), go here. Yes, you will need a microphone (built in to most lap tops) and preferably a webcam (although you can still talk with no video feed).

05/12/2011

"The world is round." That must have been one outrageous statement the first time it was uttered.

I mean, really. Look at the ocean. Look over the horizon. Although my husband would beg to differ, I can see why people believed the earth was flat.

Without complicated stories or theories or satellites...it's actually quite simple.

People doubt what they don't understand.

Period. Fin ito. End of story.

As I thought about that today, it helped me feel a little less frustrated about lyme, doctors, and the community's attitude toward tick-borne illness.

Do I feel angry that more doctors aren't educated about Lyme Disease?YES.Does it drive me crazy that more people don't understand this disease is a problem?YES.Do I wish people would start looking more at the cause of illness rather than just focusing on symptoms?YES.Does it make me angry that tens of thousands of people are getting dismissed with chronic illness and being told they're crazy, traumatized, depressed, and old?YES.Does any of this surprise me?NO.

Great strides have never been made without struggle, opposition, and disbelief. And hindsight has always been our greatest teacher.

Aren't lyme doctors and patients at the forefront of Lyme Disease fighting the same uphill battle?

While it's easy to get discouraged and no fun charting murky waters...I am inspired by the possibility that WE (yes...sick, old, ordinary, crazy "we") have an opportunity to make a difference here and impact history.

Because of us, things will change. Because of this, people will be cured.

When you think about it, we are pioneers (so maybe it's time we start relating to ourselves that way??). In time, the truth will prevail. Until then, we can get upset or we can get louder.

04/24/2011

On Easter Eve, several years ago, something interesting happened. My husband and I, returning late from a trip, spotted a pink footed, shadowy figure as it jumped out onto the sidewalk.

"Baby! Look!!!" Angel said, as he shook me awake. Through the car window, I could see what looked like an over-sized rat with a stiff tail. Upon further investigation, I could tell it was a possum.

In amazement, we watched the little guy check both ways before crossing the road. Once on the other side, he padded from shrub to shrub, stopping to peer into the leaves... he seemed to be looking for something.

"What is he doing?!?!?" we laughed, as he continued his late-night mission.

"It seems like he's searching... maybe looking for food??" That's when it hit us: We were witnessing the first appearance of a lesser-known holiday character, the yin to the Easter Bunny's yang... we had discovered The Easter Possum!

EP (as we now call him), like his close relative the Virginia Possum, is a scavenger. While the Easter Bunny hides treats for children to find in Easter Egg Hunts, the Easter Possum follows behind collecting leftovers so no hard boiled egg or chocolate bunny gets wasted.

The "sighting" started a tradition of annual visits--starting with a bag of "trash" on my porch the next morning.

"That's weird," I said...thinking my husband forgot something. As I moved closer, I could see--this was no ordinary pile of garbage. It was a present--lovingly (though messily) wrapped--in a Hefty Cinch Sack.

Inside, I found an odd assortment of things: Easter Grass, eggs, bologna gum, and candy--all marred by tiny chew marks throughout the products and the packaging.

My Easter Bounty, it seemed, had been gathered from several different backyards. Beneath the sweets, I found this note:

03/25/2011

Something funny happened on the way to the Organic Local Food Co-Op today. I was told about them from a few different friends and couldn't wait to go down and check out their organic eggs, farm raised beef, and local seasonal vegetables. Excitedly, I get ready; put on "outdoor" clothes, brush my hair, slink out of my La-Z-Boy. Luckily, they're not far from my house; 10 minutes by car, longer by bike (which I couldn't do anyway).

The first thing I notice when I pull up? The parking lot is very, very empty. "That's weird," I think. "Maybe, I'm beating the rush." As I get out, the view becomes even more ominous; empty table tops and cartons, forlorn baskets. It looks like the apocalypse of Farmer's Markets.

Unwavering, I make my way to the front door (after all, I DID get dressed for this). A man in the back sees me, puts down the phone, comes to the front, and opens up.

"Can I help you?" he says. "Yes. I'm here to visit the Co-Op," I answer."But we're not open today," he says."That's strange," I say. "It says here on your door you're open Thursdays from 2-8?""We are," he laughs. "It's Friday."

Who knew?

Altered Today: Knowledge of what day it is. Making strangers laugh. Touring closed fruit stands (amused people are really, really nice).

Tags:
Florida, Funny Lyme Stories, Homegrown Organic Food Co-Op, In Search of Organics, Keeping a Sense of Humor When You're Sick, Living With Chronic Illness, Lyme, Lyme Brain, Nice People, Orlando, Sick and Forgetful, So Sick I Forgot What Day It Is, What Day Is It, Winter Park

ALTER EVERYTHING What do you get when you combine a creative, Type A personality with Chronic Lyme Disease? A choice: A) Be swallowed whole or B) Reinvent yourself--daily.
Alter Everything is my quest to respect "A" and embrace "B" as much as possible. Here, I recount my daily adventures in pursuit of an altered life. –Kathy Tagudin